


Are You and Nicole Best Friends Now?

by orphan_account



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, Fluff, LGBTQ Character, Minor Angst, Nicole being soft for Waverly, Nicole in that dress, Oblivious Wynonna Earp, Pre-Relationship, WYNONNA BEING CLUELESS, Wayhaught - Freeform, as usual, lgbt representation, nicole and waverly being cute, pre/during 1x11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-07 15:57:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17368931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "I said I'd see Nicole before the Poker Spectacular.""What, are you and Nicole best friends now?"orWaverly goes to see Nicole, and they dance in the limbo in between more than friends and in a relationship.





	Are You and Nicole Best Friends Now?

**Author's Note:**

> The implied scene in 1x11 when Waverly goes to see Nicole before the Poker Spectacular.

"She hates us," Wynonna sighed. Despite how she acted, Waverly could see the toll it was taking on her. After feeling at fault for Willa's supposed death for so long, Waverly knew her sister was hoping things would fall back into place. She desperately wished she could relieve Wynonna of this stress, but Waverly was rendered helpless once again, starting to sink back into the shadows of the elder Earp sisters.

"She doesn't _know_ us," Waverly responded. If she was being honest, she had a bad feeling about it all— the sudden return, or perhaps just the girl herself. Waverly berated herself for the negativity, repeating to herself that Willa had been living in a cult for fifteen years. She was pulled from her thoughts by a heavy sigh from Wynonna, until it dawned on her she had somewhere to be.

"Uh, gotta go. Yeah, I said I'd see Nicole before the Poker Spectacular," Waverly explained, starting toward the bedroom door. Skepticism painted her sister's features, eyebrows drawn tightly.  

"What, are you and Nicole best friends now?" Wynonna questioned. Waverly had to use all of her self-control to keep from facepalming. It wasn't like she was exactly out to her, but she certainly hadn't gone put of her way to hide it. She'd think that comments like _'Do chicks?'_ when in relation to the liking of scars— much like the one that'd be appearing on Waverly's side— would be enough to clue her in. Not to mention, she'd walked in on the two of them nose-to-nose, stuttering for excuses as to why they'd been in Nedley's office alone.

She settled for giving her sister a look before turning back through the doorway.

* * *

 

An unwavering sense of relief washed over the youngest Earp when her Jeep came to a halt in front of Nicole's small but cozy house. She passed the familiar police cruiser in the driveway as she wandered toward the front door. There were planters along the front of the house, eagerly waiting to be filled with life when spring rolled around.

Something about the fact that it was the first time she'd actually be inside Nicole's house made Waverly's heart skip a beat. Most of their time together was spent at Shorty's or the Homestead, if not the police station. She noted that curtains were drawn, and little light was shining through the windows, but Waverly knew Nicole couldn't be in bed still. Even if she was one to sleep in, which she is most definitely _not,_ it was early afternoon and Nicole had had a shift early that day.

Taking a breath, she knocked three times, waiting with her hands in her pockets for the redhead to let her in. After several long moments Waverly contemplated knocking again, finding it unnecessary when the door swung open. The brunette's breath caught in her throat when she laid eyes on Nicole. Hair ruffled and wet, a towel around her body leaving little to the imagination, and her gun sloppily hidden halfway behind her back. "Waverly," she looked surprised. "Sorry, I—uh, I didn't know when you were coming."

Still utterly speechless at the expanse of skin on display in front of her, she wordlessly followed Nicole inside, only semi-aware of the door closing and a pistol being placed on the coffee table. When she met Nicole's eyes—finally, a blush kept over both of their faces as Waverly tried to form a coherent thought. "Uh—sorry, I, uh, should've called or texted or something."

Nicole, trying to ignore how aware she was of the little area the towel covered, was quick to dismiss it. "No, it's okay. Really, just let me get changed. You can sit down on the couch or wherever, and I can get you something when I come back out. Oh, and here, let me get your coat." Nicole reached for the shoulder of the smaller girl, helping her shrug out of her puffy jacket.

"Thanks."

"Of course. I'll be right back."

Nicole shut the door of her bedroom, leaning against the door to collect her thoughts. This wasn't exactly how she'd anticipated Waverly seeing her in her home for the first time. She didn't want Waverly to think it was some form of seduction. Regardless of what happened in Nedley’s office, she wasn’t gonna rush things if Waverly wasn’t ready. She had certainly seemed ready then, but Nicole also knew she tended to have bursts of boldness, only to shy away later. They had just started dating. . . were they dating? She figured that was something that definitely needed to be discussed, but for now: pants. And underwear. And a bra and a shirt—and socks because it was fucking cold in the living room. Her hair was wavy and disheveled, though she decided to let it be seeing as she'd deal with it when she got ready later. As she searched her closet for a sweater, she brushed past the dress for tonight. Lavender and kind of sparkly and totally not her thing, but pretty nonetheless.

The officer took another deep breath before returning to the living room, where she found Calamity Jane rubbing against Waverly's legs as the brunette giggled and pet at the top of her head.

"Huh, she likes you. Doesn't like anyone, really. Probably not even me," Nicole laughed at the last bit, though not entirely surprised the cat had taken an interest to Waverly. Good taste.

"Haha, I've heard many things about the renowned Calamity Jane Haught. I can't believe it's really her."

"Damn, Waves, don't tell me you've only been seeing me to get to my cat."

Nicole went to meet her on the couch, however, Waverly stood up rather abruptly, causing an almost-collision between them. Nicole steadied the both of them, a hand on both of Waverly's shoulders. She gazed up to meet Nicole's eyes, only now realizing their extreme proximity. "I regret to inform you, Officer Haught, but I'm afraid this is goodbye. I'll be taking your feline friend."

Both attempted to repress their grins as the taller woman feigned hurt. Waverly grinned,"Aww I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Her voice was a little mocking, a singsong lilt audible. Nicole pouted, jutting out her bottom lip. Unbeknownst to her—that pout would soon become a weakness for the brunette. It was already having an effect on her, and they hadn't even been serious.

"Maybe you'll just have to kiss me better," Nicole said, the pout turning to a sly smile. It faded after she received silence from the Earp. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for and I didn't mean to ma—" Waverly surged forward, leaning up to kiss Nicole softly. Waverly's hands rested on Nicole's cheeks, while her arms rested limply at her sides, not knowing what the outcome of this was. Even if it was just a kiss, Nicole decided to let Waverly set the pace so that she was comfortable. Waverly's arms moved to wrap around the redhead's neck, while the latter moved her hands to Waverly's hips.

Nicole could feel the desperation in the way Waverly’s lips clashed against hers more forcefully now. The want wasn't necessarily for Nicole, she realized, but to feel some sense of normalcy after the events of the last few days. Her suspicions were confirmed when she forced her eyes open, finding tears threatening to spill from the corners of her tightly closed eyes.

“Whoa, baby,” Nicole brought her hands to Waverly’s face, pulling her lips away.

“I’m sorry,” Waverly muttered, more tears pooling in her eyes. She seized up, pulling away from Nicole to cover her face. “I—I don’t know why I did that. I should—“

“Hey, not the kiss. That was. . . _wow_. But you’re upset and I’m not about to take advantage of that.”

“Okay. I am sorry though.”

“Don’t be. Sit with me, yeah?” Nicole reached for her hand, pulling her gently towards the couch. Waverly nodded and allowed herself to be pulled down. Almost subconsciously, she found herself molding her body against Nicole’s, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. Nicole pulled her into her chest, running her fingers through long tresses.

“So Willa’s here and Wynonna is trying so hard to get the old Willa back. I get that she missed her, but something feels off and I hate myself for saying so because she’s my sister too.”

Nicole knew little of the overall situation, and while she had her suspicions as to the strange occurrences that seemed to surround the Earp sisters, she didn’t want to grill Waverly over it. Not now, anyway. “Well, she did live in a secluded cult for how many years?”

“I know,” Waverly paused, realizing it’d come out a little too sharply. Her tone relaxed when she resumed speaking. “It’s not just that, though. She’s distant and almost cruel sometimes. I think she hates me. She did when we were kids.”

“Darlin', I find it hard to believe anyone could hate you.”

“Well tell that to the girl who made a four year old walk across a beam in the roof of the barn by threatening to tell Daddy I’d been in his desk.”

“Fuck,” Nicole muttered. “Why on earth would—“

“I told you, Nicole. She _hates_ me. And I don’t know what to do because we’re all strangers, but Wynonna is convinced that things are going to be picture perfect all of a sudden. But I can’t help but feeling like it’s only gonna get worse, and we have enough on our plate already with the re—“ She cut herself off, hoping it was lost on Nicole. She knew it wasn’t, but the officer was too respectful to ask anyway. It made Waverly feel a little guilty. But it was for her protection. “With everything going on and I know I’m an awful person even thinking—“

“Hey. You listen to me, Earp,” Nicole’s voice was quiet and breathy, almost a whisper, but her eyes were stark and her face was serious. “You are the best goddamn person in this backwater town and everywhere else too. Don’t you think for a second that that’ you aren’t.” Waverly stared at Nicole for a long moment. Kind eyes, cute nose, sharp jaw and naturally pink lips on a lightly flushed face, framed by brilliant red hair. In a seldom occurrence, Waverly Earp was speechless.

So instead of words, Waverly took it upon herself to close the distance between them. She felt the way Nicole’s breath hitched more than she heard it, but boy did it make Waverly’s heart thump knowing she did that to Nicole.

Nicole pulled away with more than a little struggle, utterly convinced that kissing Waverly was nothing short of Eden. Waverly’s eyes flashed with panic, worried she’d done something wrong until Nicole started peppering kisses around her face.

One in each of her perfect eyebrows. Several along the bridge of her nose and across her cheekbones. On either of her cheeks, grinning against her skin when Waverly giggled at the notion. She kissed her again quickly before pulling back to look at her. Waverly was straddling at this point, ankles locked behind her back and hands resting at the base of Nicole's neck. Upon noticing the position, Waverly felt her face flush, attempting to move from Nicole's lap. The redhead looked up at her, resting her hands on her hips as if to say, _'Stay, if you wanna.'_ And who was Waverly to say no?

"Do you, uh, wanna watch a movie or somethin'?" Nicole asked, hoping Waverly would stay a while. The latter nodded, allowing herself to curl into Nicole a bit more. "Okay, yeah. We could order takeout if you'd like."

"That'd be nice," Waverly agreed.

"Awesome." Nicole was trying to keep her cool; it was early in whatever their relationship was, and Nicole didn't want to scare her off. But she was also thrilled to be spending some time with Waverly out of public eye. If they were out somewhere together, people sure took notice. An Earp and a cop, definitely a sight to see in little old Purgatory. "Chinese good?"

"Yeah, thank you." Nicole nodded, lifting Waverly off her lap as she wandered to find the restaurant menus she kept in the kitchen. After a few minutes of searching, she located the one for the Chinese place nearby. It wasn't in its normal spot; she figured Nedley must have moved it when she was in the hospital. It had been a few weeks since then, but she still felt the bruises and the nightmares like it was yesterday. Though she shouldn't complain; Wynonna had it much worse. She would've been killed had it not been for the bizarre pair of rescuers that found her.

Dolls, the shady government officer from an agency Nicole had never heard of, and Doc Holliday, some relic-looking gunslinger with a western twang and a weirdly familiar face. There was something more behind that. Behind BBD and Doc and even the Earp family. Nicole wanted to ask, but didn't. She didn't want to pry answers from Waverly, especially if it turned out to be as serious as Nicole suspected.

She came back to the living room to find a closed-eyed Waverly with Calamity Jane tucked in the crook of her arm. Nicole knew Waverly had to be exhausted. Between having her sister kidnapped by a serial killer, hanging out with Nicole, and working on whatever it was BBD had her helping with, she had a lot on her plate. The officer decided to let her sleep until the food got there. She wasn't entirely sure what Waverly liked, but she did know she was vegan and went by that.

The food arrived a half hour later, inducing a low growl from Nicole's stomach. She was almost embarrassed, but then she realized Waverly was still asleep.

"Hey," she tried gently, prompting no response. "Waves, baby, food's here. I didn't know what you liked, so I got you veggie lo mein. I hope that's alright."

"What? Oh my, I can't believe I fell asleep. Sorry, Nicole, but that's great. Thank you," Waverly's words were groggy and strung incompletely as she sat up, attempting to rub the sleep from her eyes.

"Don't worry about it." Nicole waved her off. "I know you're tired. And besides, I'm just glad you're here." Waverly flushed at her reply. Nicole wanted her here as much as she wanted to be here. If she was honest, she was surprised Nicole remembered she was a vegan. No one seemed to. But on the other hand, of course she remembered. It was Nicole, after all.

They ate fairly silently, with Nicole scrolling through Netflix and Waverly commenting on her agreement or animosity at a title they found. Finally, they settled on some cheesy rom-com, much to Nicole's disagreement. She supposed it was the look on Waverly's face that crumbled her resolve, though she figured she could make it through one movie if Waverly was happy.

"You can pick next time," Waverly assured her. What she didn't say was, _'If we live to see a next time.'_ She didn't want Nicole tangled up in the mess caused by her last name, not when she'd gotten hurt already. Maybe it was a little selfish, but if her whole world was gonna fall apart by morning she wanted Nicole to stay together, because she was gonna need her. If she even made it. 

Meanwhile, Nicole was grinning at the fact that Waverly had said next time. That meant there'd _be_ a next time. Definitely a win for Nicole. 

Waverly found herself stretched out on the couch, half laying on top of Nicole with her head on her chest. Nicole's hands rubbed amorphous shapes under her shirt, fingertips leaving trails of heat along her skin. It was blissful, really, to be in this moment with her. But the credits starting rolling and Waverly knew she'd have to leave soon. They had a plan for the party later; she'd have to meet up with Wynonna and Willa when she got there. 

"Nicole." she spoke softly, making sure the other woman was awake before talking again. "I should go soon. To start getting ready. And I gotta talk to Wynonna and Willa about something too."

"Mmm," Nicole groaned, voice groggy and oh so sexy. "Five more minutes?" Waverly looked up at her, met by soft eyes and that goddamn pout. Of course, she couldn't say no. 

" _Okay_ ," she sighed dramatically, like it was so much trouble to stay wrapped in the arms of the girl she lo—liked. Very much. Their kisses were lazy and languid, nipping at each other softly.  "Ugh," Waverly used the last of her will to break away. She had to go. If not for her and her sisters, then for Nicole. So she'd be okay. "I really,  _really_ have to go."

"Alright, alright. If you have to," Nicole mumbled, slowly moving to leave the couch. With her arms still wrapped tightly around Waverly, she stood the both of them up. 

"I do, and you do too," Waverly told her. "Not that this look isn't amazing. Because it is. You're beautiful. Like whoa. But you know, the poker thing is tonight and I didn't mean to make it sound like—"

"Waves, darlin', I got it. And thank you, I think you're quite beautiful as well. I'll see you tonight, then?" 

"Of course," she confirmed, starting to shrug on her coat and locate her boots. "Bye, CJ." She gave her a final pat on the head, before turning to Nicole. 

"Hey, just, be safe, okay?" Waverly's eyebrows were furrowed tightly and her bottom lip was drawn between her teeth. 

Nicole smiled slyly. "I can't promise that, you know. But I'll try my best, alright?" Waverly nodded. "Same to you though, Waves."

"I'll try. Bye, Nic." 

Nicole nodded, satisfied enough with that answer as she drew Waverly in by the lapels of her puffy coat. They kissed—not particularly briefly, before Waverly made it out the door. Nicole smiled and called after her, "Bye, Earp."

Nicole Haught was  _definitely_ more than Waverly Earp's best friend.

**Author's Note:**

> I found this in my drafts from like a month ago. Tweaked it a bit and then just let it be, still unedited though. Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading. find me on tumblr @angelhaught


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